Fated To The Lycan Brothers
Chapter 58

Keith Whitford

There are a few things in my life that I did not expect to go a certain way.

One, of course, was to have the money and power I now had. From a child who could barely afford to eat once a day and had to move from one orphanage to another, to now own multiple houses and lands and to be able to eat food sometimes more expensive than a car is something my younger self would really never have imagined possible for me.

And yet, here we are.

It was all thanks to Stella, the woman who saw a future in me. The one person that believed in me when everybody else just saw me as another waste of space.

I bumped into Stella after I ran away from the foster home I was placed in and found out was filled with an abusive family. The only reason they took in kids like me back then was to get the government incentive. The night they locked me up in the basement after they beat me senseless was when I decided to run away and never look back.

Thinking about it back then, things did work out the way it was supposed to because had I not been in that town, I would not have bumped into Stella.

Or better yet, Stella would not have found me.

She was my savior. My saving grace. The one person that kept me going. The world could have fallen apart and I would not have cared because she was with me, which is exactly why on the day she left, my earth felt like it had burned down to the ground. A letter. Just one letter and that was it. All the years we were together, all the good and bad we had gone through had come down to just that.

But I could neither hate her nor blame her because the life we lived was not all too great either.

Though we had each other, this did not mean that we were not rid of unfortunate circumstances. Since I was just a kid, I had to take on jobs that were not so kind to me. They were under the table jobs since I was still not of age, and Stella, she wasn't always honest to me about what she did. She said that it was for the best that I did not know.

I trusted her. But more importantly, I wanted to protect her.

I never stopped working. Day and night I went out to replace money to keep a roof up on our heads and food on our tiny table. Not even when I got sick, not even when I felt like losing hope, I never stopped.

All because of her.

I remember the night she came back and something was different. It was rainy and it was dark. She had come inside the small apartment we were renting soaking wet and I knew that she was crying, but she said that it was just from the rain.

I should have said more back then. I should have pushed for her to talk to me, to open up to me even if I wouldn't be able to fully understand it. I may have been just a kid, but the things I've seen and experienced were far more than what any kid would have gone through at that time.

I wish I had done more for Stella, and maybe then she would have still been here.

A few days after she left, I told myself that I was going to become a man that could be more than enough for her and so with what money she left for me, I didn't spend it on food or any other things. I spent it on investments and it was a decision that forever changed the trajectory of my life.

The day I closed my first billion dollar deal, the first thing I did was to hire investigators to replace Stella in the hopes of bringing her back to me and showing her that we could finally live together without worrying if we could make it the next day.

I was hopeful. Thinking about it now, I think I was too hopeful and soon enough, the bad news had hit me a few days after.

Finding Stella Nightingale was not going to be a piece of cake as I thought it would be.

I yearned to replace her every single day of my life, not knowing that I was going to be faced by another life-changing moment.

The second thing that I did not expect for my life to go was meeting her - Eve Wolfe.

It was almost the same as that night Stella came back home different - rainy and dark. I was coming home from a late meeting and I was already in the car, but at the stoplight, I saw a woman struggling to stay dry with three babies in her arms. That night, I took her in, and I also learned of a world that seemed fictional at best, but it turned out to be very real.

I knew what I had to do and from then on, I had made an unexpected family with a woman and her three sons. And although she was a wolf and the boys were 'half bloods', I considered them my closest family. My only family.

But sometimes, life really does not work out the way you intend it to, because one supposedly beautiful afternoon, there was an ambulance carrying out Eve's lifeless body and the next thing I knew, I was taking in three boys and had signed myself up to be their adoptive father.

All I knew that day was that I was going to do everything that I can to give them everything that they could ever want and need for. I saw myself in those boys many years ago - the little boy that had nobody, but fortunately, they had each other.

It was their bond as brothers that proved to be unbreakable and even when I knew that they were not 'normal' in a worldly sense, I was going to be the best father for them. It was the least I could do for Eve who had suffered so much to protect her boys from the dangerous world they came from.

The third, and probably not the last, was replaceing Suri Nightingale.

I may have been too late to replace Stella, but what kept me from really feeling distraught about it was knowing that I was not too late for her daughter and I know that wherever she is, she would be more than grateful for giving her a place she could call home. Which brings us to the present.

The present where Suri and all three boys were all here.

Ever since I brought her here, the tension in this house has changed, and I'm not sure whether that was a good or bad thing. There was something different about the boys.

I just know that I want to get to the bottom of things, which is why I have called for the three of them.

I had just gotten back from a meeting with one of my investors and I knew I had to have this talk with them soon before the most important weekend of their lives arrived. Devon was the first one to show up at my office, but that was to be expected. He is always the most punctual amongst the three of them.

He looks tired as if he did not have proper sleep the night before.

"Hey, afternoon." He mumbled as he dropped down on the couch looking rather exhausted.

"Were you out running?" I asked because he was sweaty and in sports gear.

All three boys were adrenaline junkies, to say the least.

Atlas had boxing. Wes had football. But Devon... Devon did everything and more, but he mostly focused on swimming.

He could not stay still, this boy. He always had to be doing something and working on something whether it be sports, art, or music. He always wanted to learn something new. Devon grunted a yes as he closed his eyes and laid his head on the couch.

"Where are Atlas and Wes?" He asked without opening his eyes.

"I'm not sure. Lucy said she saw him going to the pool, but could not replace him anymore after. Wes' car is in the garage so he's somewhere here too. I texted them so they'll be here shortly."

Devon didn't reply, but I could tell by the way his brows furrowed that he was thinking of something, as if his mind was putting two and two together.

A minute later, Atlas and Wes swung open the door and went inside.

I knew instantly that something was different with the two. I just couldn't pinpoint as to what it was.

Devon, on the other hand, seemed to have completed the puzzle in his head because he instantly stood up from the couch and leveled the two with a glare.

"What the hell?" He asked them and I was relatively surprised since Devon is usually never aggressive. He is the complete opposite of Atlas and Wes who are both getting into all sorts of trouble with their attitudes.

Wes gave his brother the same fake-innocent look he gives me when I ask him what mess he's gotten himself to again.

"What's up, little bro? Did you have a good run?" He said to Devon who was close to seething in annoyance.

What does he know that I don't?

"Seriously? The two of you? I can smell you from a mile away. What happened to nobody touching h-" Devon stopped abruptly, his head tilting to my side as if he remembered I was there.

Wes snickered. "Yeah, that's exactly what I told Atlas when I... walked in on the fun. So don't blame me. He started it." He said with a smug smirk.

Devon turned to his older brother and said through gritted teeth. "You? It hasn't even been a day and you're already eating your own words, you hypocrite."

Okay, this is getting far too out of hand. I need to put an end to this. I am usually all for the three airing their problems and frustrations out, but I know when to stop before things get too much and right now I'm sure that's where it's leading to, especially with Atlas' short temper.

Atlas looked ready to say something when I chimed in, clearing my throat loudly so that they knew I was still very much in the room.

"Sup, daddy-o?" Wes exclaimed as he stepped aside from the two and flopped himself on the couch, always the carefree one.

Devon grumbled something under his breath before turning away and doing the same, but making sure to put some distance between him and Wes.

I looked at Atlas and he stood there unwavering. I guess he's going to stand.

"It's nice to have you all three here with me again. At least, in a more positive circumstance. When was the last time? Right. Around Junior year when somebody in this room got into trouble and I had to patch things up." I raised my brow as I glanced at each brother, but made sure to linger a few seconds longer over Wes.

He looked at me with a pout. "Somebody? Do you mean you? Did you get into trouble, daddy-o?"

I let out a sigh as I shook my head, making him let out a raucous laugh.

"As I was saying on a more positive note, I called all three of you here because as we all know, your birthday and the full moon is this weekend." "Ibizaaaa!" Wes cheered and both Devon and Atlas rolled their eyes at him.

"I wasn't talking about that specifically, but since we are already on that topic, have you finalized everything that needs to be finalized? I trust you three know what you're doing and if I see anything abnormal on my card, I swear to you, Wesley, I will not go easy on you this time." I crossed my arms to instigate dominance in the room, but with three somewhat Alpha brothers, it doesn't work sometimes.

They really have grown up. Sometimes I look at them and still see the little boys running on the grass as Eve and I watched from the inside. They were always so active and they loved being outside. Eve was not the same. She was always afraid somebody would replace her and I always wondered who she meant, but she said it was safer for me not to know.

"Lighten up, daddy-o. I got this. Trust the Wes man. Right, guys?" He gave me a smirk as he glanced over to his brothers waiting for them to give him some reaffirmation, but they just grimaced at him.

"Jesus H. Christ, there is no love in this room."

"Back to the topic. I was talking about the full moon, specifically. We all know that this birthday is different compared to your past ones. We expected for it to happen on your sixteenth, but it didn't. Neither on the seventeenth. But this time, I am fairly certain it is possibly this one because of the coinciding moon event. What do you think?" I looked over at the three and there was a few seconds of silence before Atlas answered.

"What does it matter? If it happens then it happens." He said looking rather uninterested.

Wes and Devon just shrugged their shoulders.

"Okay, you're right... but I am just worried about throwing such a big party with everybody that you know for it to happen. That is my only worry." I told them and that's what got them to rethink about the situation.

I can't believe neither of them thought about these, for goodness' sake these boys.

Oh, Eve. If only you were still here.

"Nothing's going to happen. I mean, nothing too bad. We'll be able to sense it, won't we? Some kind of internal shift or something and then we can move away from the public eye when we need to. Problem solved." Devon exclaimed and to be expected he has been the one that might have thought about it once.

"Yup, what he said." Atlas said and Wes followed right after.

Looks like I won't be getting anything else from these three so I decided to change the topic instead.

"Alright. I will take your word for it, but in case anything goes south, just let me know."

"Is that all? Can we go now?" Atlas and his impatience asked and he was already halfway to the door when I spoke up and all three of them visibly stiffened.

"Suri."

Just one word and all of their demeanors changed. Why is that?

"What... about her?" Atlas spoke up, his back still turned to me.

"How have you guys been with her? I know it's been rough the first few days and you especially, Atlas, was a little too harsh so I wanted to make sure that there is no more... rough patch between you three and her. I just want her to feel as comfortable as possible here. You guys understand, right?" I glanced at them one by one, each with varying emotions on their faces.

Wes was the first to speak up, a smug smile plastered on his face. "Oh, she's comfortable, alright."

Devon snapped his head towards him and a low growl rumbled in his chest. "You seriously can't control yourself, can you?"

Wes let out a loud chuckle. "Take a chill pill, little bro."

"You-"

"Enough, you two. Stop trying to kill each other. You guys were never like this when you were younger. Can you please get along? Is this about Suri? Is she affecting your relationship with each other because if it is then I can have a talk with her and-" "No," Atlas cut me off with a stern tone, taking me by surprise.

"No what?" I repeated.

"Don't talk to her. Just leave her be. We're fine. Just... worry about your own thing, alright old man?"

Grumpy as ever this boy.

"Totally peachy, daddy-o!" Wes said as he clapped his hands together.

"Uh-huh. What he said." Devon added with a tight-lipped smile.

"Okay, get your grumpy asses out of my office now." I told them and all three sauntered out without another word.

Whatever these three were hiding... I'll let them hide it for now.

Eventually, it will come out soon enough. Everything in life does, anyway.